Competition and product cycles with non-diversifiable risk

This paper analyzes the growth effects of competition in a product-cycle model with innovation, imitation and non-diversifiable risk. Imitation leads to oligopolistic competition and innovation restores a monopoly in the market. In contrast to the models that assume diversifiable risk, this paper shows the following. Positive profits in the oligopoly stages of the product cycle are necessary for technological change. A little intensity of competition is growth diminishing. Only if the intensity of competition exceeds a critical level, its increase enhances growth.